Students do best with applied hands-on experiential learning. The ‘After Dark’ theme of this workshop is intended to provide tangible resources for educators to take abstract concepts from their curriculum and make them accessible to students with glow in the dark, phosphorescent activities to take.

TAKEAWAYS:
Data collection and interpretation is an essential skill that hits-home the concepts students find in their textbooks. ‘After-Dark’ makes a miniature lab-course out of many of the bio/chem/phys/eng principles in ways which are memorable/relatable taking advantage of STEM tools for data collection.

SPEAKERS:
Will Collins (BioInnovation Dir: Halifax, NS, NB)

"PV=NRT" is nearly 200 years old! However, the ideal gas law has remained a relevant tool that's helped us progress from Sterling Engines to Solar Panel Cars. How? Engineering. Come be a student in an engineering project based physics/ physical science class.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will have hands-on opportunity to experience engineered based lesson (mini unit). Teachers will come away with an example scope and sequence, example projects with directions, materials guidelines, and rubrics.

SPEAKERS:
Briana Clarke (Park Day School: Oakland, CA)

Sponsoring Company: Great Minds

In this workshop, participants dive into a 2nd grade module on Matter. Using the six steps of the Engineering Design Process, participants will ask, imagine, plan and test a solution to the real-world problem: How can you design and build a shelter that provides protection from rain?

Sponsoring Company: Estes Industries

Empower your students to become confident problem solvers by providing hands-on STEM experiences that improve their resilience and motivation through trial and error. Build a free rocket with us and walk away with great strategies to use in your classroom!

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Bayeur (Estes Industries: , United States)

Sponsoring Company: Great Minds

In this workshop, participant explore parts of a 4th grade module on Energy to see how hands-on experiences and other modes of discovery enable students to build knowledge and gather personally meaningful evidence to support their scientific explanations.

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

Students get engaged with practical and inquiry-based engineering experiences by using the DIVE-in method. This program was developed with the New York Hall of Science. Transform your classroom into an authentic makerspace with the DIVE process. Learn how to use the design process through consensus.

SPEAKERS:
Stacey O'Connor (STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning: Houston, TX)

Flight is amazing! Even more amazing is the fact that students at any level can understand how flight works. In this session, we will share resources and strategies to teach aviation in any educational setting and how you can inspire students to pursue STEAM careers.

TAKEAWAYS:
We will share strategies, conduct hands-on STEAM activities, and provide a range of activities, developed by NASA, for all ages and all educational settings. Come have some fun and leave with useful resources you can use right away.

SPEAKERS:
Steve Kirsche (NASA Headquarters: No City, No State)

Students will gain a deeper knowledge about sustainable energy generation / conservation and architectural ecology through hands-on, collaborative labs, which use on-campus student-built green roof models, a green roof section on our middle school, and ground-level on-campus solar panels.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will learn how to identify a key sustainable energy or ecological practice that fits your school culture. We'll show you how to design labs and select equipment that will engage the students in learning about sustainability. You'll identify learning objectives and assessments.

SPEAKERS:
Brian Ward (Science Teacher: Wallingford, PA)

Design a multi day STEM project that incorporates wind energy. Participants would learn how to do a unit that incorporates a virtual lab as well as physically building wind turbine blades to generate energy.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will walk away with a multi-day (3+week) ready to use engineering design process unit on wind energy.

SPEAKERS:
Heidi Webster (Teacher: Michigantown, IN), Allison Clegg (7th Grade Science Teacher)

Learn how to better integrate local phenomena into classroom learning through the use of long-term projects and the eCYBERMISSION STEM competition.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn strategies to use student-chosen local phenomena as the basis for long-term projects and participation in a national STEM competition, eCYBERMISSION.

SPEAKERS:
Carey Dieleman (National Science Teaching Association: No City, No State), Kathryn Lasky (NSTA/Army Educational Outreach Program)

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Python is a dominant programming language, and we have created libraries and sample code so that you can use most of our sensors in Python programs. Web VPython even allows you to read our Go Direct® sensors without installing anything, and it works on Chromebooks, PCs, and Mac® computers.

SPEAKERS:
Josh Ence (Vernier Science Education: Beaverton, OR), Frances Poodry (Vernier Science Education: Beaverton, OR)

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

Give your students a real-world engineering challenge! Explore the relationship between momentum and impact forces with real-time measurement of collisions.

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Company

Rockets zoom and race cars zip through hands-on activities that engage your middle and high school students. Apply creative problem-solving skills and engineering practices to chemistry and physical science challenges. Experience how Carolina makes it easy to incorporate STEM into your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Patti Kopkau (Retired Educator: National City, MI)

Engineers around the world use system models as a go-to tool to solve problems, and your students can too. Create system models related to real-world problems and learn pedagogy for supporting students to develop and share system models. Leave with an engineer-approved 5E lesson to use tomorrow!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will understand the origin and use of system modeling as an engineering tool and be able to use student talk, whiteboarding, and system schema to implement system modeling in their classrooms. Teachers receive Mi-STAR’s OER lesson plan to introduce system models to their students.

SPEAKERS:
Stephanie Tubman (Michigan Technological University: Houghton, MI), Chris Geerer (Mi-STAR: , MI)

Participate in an activity created by expert teachers that will help you better understand how to get your students involved in STEM competitions, including the eCYBERMISSION competition.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to juggle student participation in STEM competitions with the rest of their teaching load and integrate the eCYBERMISSION STEM competition into their classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Carey Dieleman (National Science Teaching Association: No City, No State), Kathryn Lasky (NSTA/Army Educational Outreach Program)

Sponsoring Company: Werkz Publishing Inc.

N/A

SPEAKERS:
Pamela Gullotti (US Lead Sales Team & Trainer), David Gentry (Stem Teacher: , NC), Amanda Hightower (4th grade Math and Science: , NC)

Learn how to create NGSS-focused middle school integrated STEM projects that won’t break the bank. Take home rubrics, guides, lesson plans, timelines, and other ideas.

TAKEAWAYS:
Integrated STEM no longer needs to be a separate elective or after school activity. Integrated STEM activities can be aligned with NGSS standards and provide a unique way to assess learning while also teaching integrated STEM skills.

SPEAKERS:
Vanessa Ueltzen (Walther Christian Academy: Melrose Park, IL)

Sponsoring Company: School Specialty - FOSS

Engage in activities using lasers and optical fibers and concepts of refraction and reflection in the FOSS Next Generation Waves Course for middle school. Explore the phenomena that allow information transfer by fiber optic technology, and identify connections to the three dimensions of NGSS.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Penchos (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA), FOSS Project Staff (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA)

Have you ever wondered where to find Federal STEM education resources that can provide authentic learning experiences for your students? Come join many federal agencies including NASA, NOAA, Dept. of Defense, EPA, Smithsonian, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, to learn more!

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn what K-12 STEM learning resources are offered by federal agencies. In addition, teachers will engage in two-way conversations with federal representatives about the STEM resources, programs, and opportunities that are available.

SPEAKERS:
Bekkah Lampe (NOAA Office of Education: Silver Spring, MD), Carrie Olsen (NASA Headquarters: No City, No State), Carol ODonnell (Smithsonian Institution: Washington, DC), Melissa Anley-Mills (U.S. EPA: Washington, DC), Jorge Valdes (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: Alexandria, VA), Cindy Hasselbring (NASA Headquarters: Washington, DC), Reginald Duncan (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: Alexandria, VA)

Are you looking for creative ideas to stimulate the minds of your students in grades K-12? Listen to Middle-School STUDENTS present and demonstrate some of the coolest projects around! These students, along with their teacher Mike French, will amaze you with some spectacular PBL ideas for any grade!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be amazed at the presentation/demonstration by middle school students, and their teacher Mike French. Each attendee will walk away with ideas on how to create an exciting learning environment in ALL of your school's classrooms through projects designed to enhance any lesson.

SPEAKERS:
Mike French (Northview Middle School: Newbern, TN)

Sponsoring Company: Kendall Hunt

Anchored Science by Mi-STAR is a middle school science curriculum motivated by a vision for the future in which science including engineering practices is taught and learned as an integrated body of knowledge that is applied to address societal issues. Attend this session to learn more.

SPEAKERS:
Teresa Rockwood (Science Curriculum Specialist: , TX)

Designing the solution that solves a real-world problem requires the application of knowledge and skills from multiple disciplines, as in STEM practices. Through the exploration of STEL and the EDP, students learn how to evaluate their design solutions based on constraints and criteria.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators learn how to use performance tasks to measure students’ application of the knowledge and to assess individual student performance.

SPEAKERS:
Denise Clarke-Mayers (East Orange STEM Academy: East Orange, NJ)

This session will provide educators with ideas for hosting STEM day/night for K-8 students (especially in Title I schools). Attendees will participate in hands-on STEM challenges that explore phenomena, require minimal preparation, and can be completed in 45 minutes or less. Educators will walk away with packets that include posters, supply lists, rubrics, and worksheets. This session will help attendees to facilitate and model simple Engineering Design Challenges that will engage ALL scholars.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to coordinate a STEM day/night including scheduling ideas, resources. Attendees will receive packets for their respective grade levels/grade bands that include posters, supply lists, rubrics, and worksheets.

SPEAKERS:
Karelle Williams (The Main Street Academy: Atlanta, GA)

ARISS allows your students to talk with an astronaut on the International Space Station! ARISS involves NASA and other space agencies to provide this amazing experience for schools worldwide! An ARISS contact tends to unite and excite a school community while focusing on STEM at your school.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will find out about all the experiences and resources provided at no cost to schools and teachers selected for an ARISS contact including a STEM enrichment kit and special workshop opportunity.

SPEAKERS:
Martha Muir (Retired teacher: Alpharetta, GA)

How could the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows bridge have been prevented? How can we ensure electronic devices hold up to everyday use? Developing well-defined criteria and constraints is critical to successful engineering. Experience ways to help your students plan and evaluate solutions like pros!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn the importance of well-defined criteria and constraints, and will experience activities to share with students to help them develop and evaluate successful solutions to engineering challenges. Everyone leaves with access to a Mi-STAR NGSS aligned OER lesson.

SPEAKERS:
Stephanie Tubman (Michigan Technological University: Houghton, MI), Chris Geerer (Mi-STAR: , MI)

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Introduce your students to renewable energy to sharpen their problem-solving and engineering skills. This workshop will provide three-dimensional learning opportunities for your students as they explore the engineering design elements of a wind turbine, such as number of blades, blade shape, etc.

SPEAKERS:
David Carter (Vernier Science Education: Beaverton, OR)

Sponsoring Company: hand2mind

Looking for a flexible, hands-on, standards-aligned program that engages students in scientific learning? Come experience phenomena-based learning with Investigating Everyday Phenomena! Explicit, ready-to-implement lessons easily fit into your classroom routine, and kits include hands-on materials.

Learn how to join NASA’s online community of practice for STEM educators (CONNECTS) and gain access to NASA content, resources, educator community, exclusive events, and NASA experts. Join us for this fun session including a foam rocket activity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about the vast resources offered by NASA's online community of practice for STEM educators and they will receive a foam rocket activity they can implement in their classrooms using simple materials.

SPEAKERS:
Carrie Olsen (NASA Headquarters: No City, No State), Richard Arnold (Director of Professional Studies), Cindy Hasselbring (NASA Headquarters: Washington, DC)

Designing the solution that solves a real-world problem requires the application of knowledge and skills from multiple disciplines, as in STEM practices. Through the exploration of STEL and EDP, students learn how to evaluate their design solutions on identified criteria and constraints.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will learn how to use performance tasks to apply STEL and engineering design process to STEM integration, measure students' application of the knowledge, and to assess individual student performance.

SPEAKERS:
Denise Clarke-Mayers (East Orange STEM Academy: East Orange, NJ)

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Make three-dimensional learning work for you! We will explore an everyday phenomenon, the heating of a gas when it is compressed, using Vernier technology. Using science and engineering practices, you'll actively engage students by integrating crosscutting ideas into this real-world experiment!

SPEAKERS:
David Carter (Vernier Science Education: Beaverton, OR)

The Cellphone Holder Design Challenge is a 2-to-3-week unit that utilizes the engineering design process and entrepreneurial thinking and instills in students the importance of communication, documentation, and precise measurement in the creation of new products. During this challenge, students work with a partner and each designs a desktop holder for their partner’s cellphone per their partner’s requirements. Students must document the problem and requirements and design a solution that meets their partner’s approval. They render their design using 3-D modeling software and test the dimensions. Final solutions are 3-D printed for additional testing and presentations, and students walk away with a tangible product made to their specifications. Classroom-based research conducted as part of an NSF Math and Science Partnership has shown that the Cellphone Holder Design Challenge is a highly engaging activity for both students and teachers, and that it supports science and math learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session describes a 2-3-week unit that utilizes the engineering design process as students complete a whole product design cycle, from RFP, client interviews and defining requirements, to ideating, 3-D modeling, prototype testing, and delivering the final 3-D printed product.

SPEAKERS:
Meltem Alemdar (CEISMC, Georgia Institute of Technology: Atlanta, GA), Jessica Gale (Senior Research Scientist), Jeffrey Rosen (CEISMC, Georgia Institute of Technology: Atlanta, GA), Marion Usselman (CEISMC, Georgia Institute of Technology: Atlanta, GA)

In this session, participants will work on hands-on activities and test a prototype to learn about genetics using the engineering design model and translanguaging for middle grades.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to teach about genetics for middle grade level using an engineering activity and translanguaging (English/Spanish).

SPEAKERS:
Maggie Lewis (Student: Dawsonville, GA), Lorraine Ramirez Villarin (University of North Georgia: Dahlonega, GA), Victoria Hunter (Student), Max Vazquez Dominguez (University of North Georgia: Dahlonega, GA)

Bring your community into the classroom by engaging students with the local impacts of STEM careers. This presentation will include resources and strategies for partnering with civil engineers and other field experts in your state and local community.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will have immediately actionable resources that can be used in different curricula and district guidelines including tools for classroom visits, lesson plans for learning about local infrastructure, frameworks for virtual site tours, and templates for networking with local experts.

SPEAKERS:
Hannah Reed (The University of Alabama: Tuscaloosa, AL)

Presenters will share the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office science of innovation video lessons, trading card lessons, journeys of innovation stories, and professional development opportunities. Resources are available for K-12 classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be provided with resources that can be implemented in K-12 classrooms and opportunities for professional development. Invention education integrates into the STEM curriculum seamlessly and can catalyze student engagement and creative thinking.

SPEAKERS:
Reginald Duncan (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: Alexandria, VA), Jorge Valdes (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: Alexandria, VA), Kathy Hoppe (STEMisED, Inc: No City, No State)

Are you a middle school teacher looking for resources for your classroom? Join these educators as they share creating units teaching metric measures, discover the Teach the Earth Portal, and hear about one educator's experience of incorporating the 5E model into their lessons.

Designing Units
Learn how to create designer units based on standard metric measures. These units will be built based on volume measurements so students will be able to make connections to liquid measurement containers that students see and use in everyday life.

5 E's Made EEEEEasy!
The 5 E Model in science education is a great tool to help promote hands-on learning. Learn what the 5 E's are and how to effectively use them in your classroom. Help students make sense of their learning and make connections to the real world with the 5 E's.

Teach the Earth: A Portal to Earth Education Resources
The National Association of Geoscience Teachers manages the Teach the Earth portal, where educators can search for online resources in the geosciences and related fields.  Instructional approaches, classroom activities, course descriptions, and sample assignments make up the many resources in TTE.

SPEAKERS:
Elaine Thurmond (Mercer University: Lithia Springs, GA), Mary Kay Bacallao (Mercer University: Atlanta, GA), Kristi Gnage (Science Teacher: St. Petersburg, FL), Christy Visaggi (Georgia State University: Atlanta, GA)

Are you a middle school educator looking for inspiration? Join these educators as they share resources and strategies on using food and cooking in the STEM classroom, student-led mentorship in STEM classrooms, and learn how to use PolyDensity bottles to investigate concepts in the physical science classroom. Implementing STEM Kits to Improve Recruitment and Retention of Underrepresented Communities in Engineering Student-led mentorship programs can be fantastic early intervention tools that can be implemented in a variety of learning settings. Here we share a STEM Kit that high school mentors use with middle school mentees to improve recruitment and retention. Tinkering with Food & Cooking to Explore Science Purposefully Learn how to leverage food and cooking to encourage tinkering and sensemaking to make your secondary science curriculum engaging, meaningful, visual, and “sticky” (literally and metaphorically). Free resources (& lesson plans) included. Poly-density Bottles DIY for Inquiry I will share how to create your own cool polydensity bottles and use them for student inquiry activities that relate to many topics including density, molecular properties, and solubility.

SPEAKERS:
Claire Abrams (Student Intern: Washington, DC), Kimberly Jacoby Morris (STEM Program Coordinator), Kate Strangfeld (Harvard University: Cambridge, MA), Kelly Moore (Tennessee Tech: Cookeville, TN)

Based on the vision of the Framework for K-12 Education and NGSS, phenomena based science instruction is an authentic way to engage students in engineering design. In this workshop, attendees will explore a unit of instruction based on student sensemaking to learn about: 1. what makes an anchor phenomenon/problem instructionally productive to support students as the knower and builder of science ideas in the classroom; 2. strategies to authentically integrate the engineering design process 3. how STEM and NGSS complement one another and open up possibilities both for teachers on how science is taught and for students to better explore the topics and the world around them.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about strategies to integrate engineering into three dimensional science units.

SPEAKERS:
Rob Wallace (NSTA: Kenner, LA)

This workshop is designed to encourage teachers to jumpstart a love for learning science by using multiple project-based learning ideas, hands-on activities, and STEM challenges. Ignite your students' creativity! Challenge your students' problem-solving abilities! Let them get their hands dirty!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will experience first hand a couple of hands-on activities and be given a guide filled with multiple project ideas and instructions on how to implement them in their class. They will learn how to engage their students and alter their perception and love for learning science!

SPEAKERS:
Kandis Howard (Science Teacher: Mansfield, AR)

This session introduces participants to NASA resources including a closer look at STEMonstrations which are STEM demonstrations filmed in the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station and taught by astronauts. Each of these videos includes a corresponding Classroom Connection lesson plan which is ready for educators to immediately implement in their classrooms. This session focuses on the Engineering Design Process STEMonstration where participants will watch the Engineering Design Process STEMonstration video and participate in the corresponding Classroom Connection activity. Other engineering design activities will be introduced and discussed as extensions to this introductory lesson.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will become familiar with STEMonstrations and be able to integrate these videos and corresponding Classroom Connections into their classrooms. Participants will leave this session with hands-on, ready-to-go STEM lesson plans including student activities and worksheets.

SPEAKERS:
Michele Hooks (Education Project Manager), Lynn Dotson (NASA Office of STEM Engagement-GoH: Kennedy Space Center, FL)

Paper is so commonly used for drawing and writing but it is amazingly versatile and easy to use for making 3-dimensional projects.

TAKEAWAYS:
You do not need fancy equipment to do STEM and hands on activities.

SPEAKERS:
Godwyn Morris (Dazzling Discoveries / Skill Mill NYC: New York, NY)

Drawing on the experiences acquired in this international educational project, the poster will introduce participants to the concept of open schooling - its principles, benefits, and challenges. It will present the project's main objectives and showcase examples of activities designed based on the project principles and the actions completed so far, such as the co-creation of 16 Learning scenarios with eight pilot schools in the UK, Israel, Netherlands, and Poland, development the Open School Navigator for educators and conducting two rounds of pilots to test the learning scenarios and the Navigator with teachers. Finally, it will capture an example of the implementation of the Make It Open project and its future goals.

TAKEAWAYS:
The poster will introduce the Make It Open project based on the open schooling approach. It will give an overview of the tools and learning scenarios curricula developed by this project and showcase examples of how educators can implement them in their classrooms based on their community.

SPEAKERS:
Uttarika Shetty (Research Assistant), Tamar Fuhrmann (TC Columbia University: No City, No State)

Come have a BALL and put your own SPIN on how the game of Skee-ball is built and played so you and your students can save Skee-ball, too! This session provides an engaging, hands-on activity that explores physics and engineering through a “cardboard arcade” activity coupled with a fun storyline.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will identify relevant physics concepts related to building and playing a cardboard Skee-ball game through this FUN engineering project that is easily-adaptable for students across grade levels and settings.

SPEAKERS:
Christine Moskalik (NSTA: No City, No State)

Join the Wade Institute and their partners to explore STEM Challenges developed for MA STEM Week. Participate in inquiry-based investigations using the engineering design process. Receive the curriculum packets. Challenges include: Extreme Zoo Makeover, Survivor Island and Storm City USA.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will experience using the Engineering Design Process and inquiry investigations to develop engineering challenges for their students and receive curriculum packets for 3 Challenges developed for Massachusetts' STEM week.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Stronach (Lloyd Center for the Environment: Dartmouth, MA), Kathryn Atkins (Wade Institute for Science Education: Quincy, MA), Sandra Ryack-Bell (Wade Institute for Science Education: Quincy, MA)

Projections are that by 2050, there may be more plastic in our oceans than fish, leading to calls for a worldwide treaty restricting plastics. In this session, participants will explore new remote-sensing capabilities for monitoring microplastics from space and relevant STE[A]M+G educator resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
To offer participants resources and strategies for developing a STE[A]M+G Earth science unit that integrates problem-based learning (PBL), hands-on NASA student design challenges and cross-curricular material.

SPEAKERS:
Anne Weiss (Educator Professional Development Specialist)

Use award-winning videos, crash-science demos and teacher tip-assisted activities including paper car crashes, egg drop cushions and stretchy slime to teach science and engineering concepts related to vehicle crashworthiness and highway safety.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participant will learn how to access inquiry-based lessons and video-supported activities integrating STEM concepts with vehicle crashworthiness and crash avoidance technologies.

SPEAKERS:
Pini Kalnite (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Highway Loss Data Institute: Arlington, VA), Griff Jones (University of Florida: No City, No State)

This workshop will provide you with various resources that you can take back to your classroom to provide your middle schoolers with engaging STEM activities that address the Engineering Design Process. Walk away with many hands-on project ideas, coding and gaming activities and online 3D design.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to incorporate the Engineering Design Process into every STEM lesson they create. Materials and worksheets provided.

SPEAKERS:
Jacie Veno (Plymouth Public Schools: Plymouth, MA)

Inspired by the "Odyssey of the Mind" national competition, engage in competitive hands-on engineering projects (5-10 minutes each) designed to encourage student creativity in the design process. Attendees will be split into groups of five individuals and given unique engineering problems to solve.

TAKEAWAYS:
(1) Creativity is essential for engineering design (2) Learn how to engage students in expanding their creative minds

SPEAKERS:
Stephen Krajeski (Bridgewater State University: Bridgewater, MA)

We will compare the scientific method with the engineering design process, highlighting the idea that the scientific method is more linear and the engineering design process is more cyclical. After overviewing the SEPs, we will use a typical classroom challenge that includes criteria and constraints to lead participants through the engineering design process, taking on the role of the students. Once the challenge is completed, we will look at how many of the SEPs were used during our engineering design process challenge. This will help emphasize the importance of students completing the entire EDP process as a way to develop students' critical thinking skills and scientific behaviors. Stem Tool #32 (stemteachingtools.org) says, "Engaging with a range of practices in different configurations helps students understand that there is not just one way to conduct science and that scientists draw upon varied practices in their research."

TAKEAWAYS:
Although a teacher may not be working toward a content standard, focusing on science and engineering practices alone is an integral part of science education.

SPEAKERS:
Ashley Tilley (AMSTI-UM: Pelham, AL), Holly Adams (University of Montevallo: Montevallo, AL)

Engineering instruction can empower students to address complex societal issues. See students investigate how nutrient pollution impacts ecosystems and their communities, and apply earth and life science concepts to develop and optimize a plan to reduce excess nutrients in a local watershed.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how expanding engineering instruction beyond building simple prototypes can increase students’ interest and stretch their ideas about the role of engineering in society.

SPEAKERS:
Nancy Gifford (Monomoy Regional Middle School: Chatham, MA), Shawn Stevens (GBH Education: Brighton, MA)

How does the installation of offshore wind turbines impact marine life? This hands-on session will allow participants to design and test a model that would reduce noise pollution from drilling into the sea floor.

TAKEAWAYS:
Engineers and marine biologists work together to ensure that protected species are not negatively impacted during the installation of offshore wind turbines. Participants will investigate the precautionary measure of using bubble curtains to absorb sound waves.

SPEAKERS:
Cori Nelson (Winfield School District 34: Winfield, IL)

So you are already doing great STEM work, now what? How can we make it even better? Join us for a guided self-reflection time where we work shifting existing lessons toward gold-standard PBL.

TAKEAWAYS:
Creating engaging problem-solving opportunities for students does not mean starting over with curriculum planning. Teachers can transform existing classroom lessons and activities into PBLs rich in relevant, authentic learning that builds the skills and knowledge students can use for a lifetime.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Benigno (The Science House at North Carolina State University: Mills River, NC), Jason Carter (The Science House at NC State University: No City, No State)

Explore how computational thinking can enhance students’ engineering designs and science sensemaking. You’ll engage with two middle school modules that develop computational thinking practices and skills as they bolster engineering understandings and solutions related to thermal energy transfer.

TAKEAWAYS:
Computational tools are increasingly used by scientists and engineers. Hands-on engineering design challenges provide an authentic and motivating context for students to practice and apply computational thinking.

SPEAKERS:
Mary Dzaugis (Mathworks: Natick, MA), Christine Cunningham (Museum of Science, Boston: Boston, MA)